The World Association of the Major Metropolises, (metropolis®) through its web portal Urban Sustainable Exchange (USE), highlighted the work of BibloRed Bogotá and noted that this network, to promote reading among the people of Bogota, was chosen as a case study because, "It contributes to the cultural empowerment of the city’s local communities by providing access to books".
One of the purposes of metropolis® is to make visible some experiences and case studies that clearly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda and that can be replicated by other cities. It also corresponds to criteria of sustainability and results in the implementation.
In the case of the District Network of Public Libraries and Non-Conventional Reading Spaces of Bogotá, the portal highlighted the initiative as a contribution to the culture of the Colombian capital. “BibloRed has been instrumental in increasing citizens' reading levels through digital culture and innovation with its service of 128 reading spaces throughout the city”, says the web portal.
Within the framework of this recognition, Portal Bogotá interviewed Consuelo Gaitán, director of Reading and Libraries of the District Secretary for Culture:
Portal Bogotá: What do you think were the strategies that metropolis® took into account when choosing BibloRed as a case study?
Consuelo Gaitán: We believe that our #BiblioRedEnMiCasa program, the Asómate a tu ventana strategy, our BiblioMóvil, the School of Readers, non-conventional reading spaces and the Bogotá Digital Library are initiatives that can be replicated in other cities.
P.B: How has BibloRed adapted to the pandemic and how has the public responded to these changes?
C.G: One of the most important achievements in 2020 was the implementation of the home book lending service, which allowed more than 200,000 books to be delivered in the homes, bringing the books into the hands of their readers. This service was created during the quarantine period and has been maintained until today. The number of visits and inquiries of the resources of the Bogotá Digital Library also increased.
Along with BibloRed Bogotá, USE highlighted other international examples such as the "Tarjeta Ciudadana" of the city of Gijón, a smart plastic that gives citizens access to numerous services such as renting a bicycle, using public restrooms and borrowing books; or the Edinburgh Collected memory project, which invites locals to contribute their family photos or texts to create a collective digital collection managed by the Edinburgh Library.
What metropolis® stands out from these projects is the use of creativity in combination with digital tools that provide benefits to the citizens of big cities.
To explore the USE project bank. 👇🏻
https://use.metropolis.org/search#search-results
